USA

About 20 federal agents seized computers and documents from the Washington office of US Special Counsel Scott Bloch during a Tuesday raid. Although he heads up the agency that protects the rights of federal workers and shields whistle-blowers from reprisals, Bloch is the subject of an inquiry about the possible destruction of evidence of retaliation against his staff.

Police investigating two student deaths from drug overdoses atSan Diego State University arrested 29 people in Tuesday raids, including 18 wanted on warrants for selling to undercover agents. School officials responded by suspending six fraternities implicated in drug-dealing.

The Georgia Department of Corrections ended a seven-month national pause in prisoner executions Tuesday when it lethally injected William Earl Lynd for the 1998 murder of his girlfriend. Prisons had put executions on hold until the Supreme Court decided April 16 that the commonly used three-drug injections are constitutional.

To lessen the cost of minting pennies and nickels, which cost more to make than they're worth, Congress is looking at the possibility of going to steel coins such as those used during World War II.

To show his gratitude for the safe return of a $4 million Stradivarius violin he left in a cab, musician Philippe Quint performed a short concert Tuesday at the taxi holding area of the Newark, N.J., airport. Mohammed Khalil, the driver who returned it, will be the special guest when Quint plays at Carnegie Hall Sept. 23.

A mix of factors led to the loss of 36.1 percent of the nation's commercially managed beehives, according to a new survey of the Apiary Inspectors of America. About a third of the deaths were linked to Colony Collapse Disorder, a condition that causes adult bees to abandon their hives.

A new study by Americans for Secure Retirement shows that 1 of 5 single women over 65 lives on less than $10,000 a year in retirement.

Resident Owned Communities USA, which launched Tuesday, will assist 3.5 million American families who live in manufactured-home parks to enjoy more benefits associated with homeownership. The organization will help resident associations purchase leased land on which "mobile" homes sit.